Hypericum genus, considered to comprise over 500 species that exhibit cosmopolitan distribution, has attracted human interest since ancient times. The present review aims to provide and summarize the recent literature (2012–2022) on the essential oils of the title genus. Research articles were collected from various scientific databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Reaxys, and Google Scholar. Scientific reports related to the chemical composition, as well as the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities, are presented, also including a brief outlook of the potential relationship between traditional uses and Hypericum essential oils bioactivity.

The aim of the present study was the phytochemical analysis of the aerial parts of Heliotropium procumbens Mill., a herb from Boraginaceae plant family not previously studied. The methanol (ME) and aqueous extracts (WE) of the aerial parts were assayed for their total phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant properties, using free radical scavenging (DPPH, ABTS), reducing power (FRAP, CUPRAC), phosphomolybdenum and metal chelating assays. The extracts displayed considerable free radical scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS radicals, with potential values of 46.88 and 68.31 mg TE/g extract for ME, and 93.43 and 131.48 mg TE/g extract for WE, respectively. Key clinical enzymes involved in neurodegenerative diseases AChE and BChE, diabetes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) and skin whitening (tyrosinase) were also assayed. The phytochemical profile of the studied species was determined through UHPLC–HRMS, whereby 26 secondary metabolites were identified, three of which (luteolin-7-glucoside, lithospermic and rosmarinic acids) were isolated and structurally determined by NMR spectral means. H. procubens was found to harbor bioactive metabolites and could, hence, serve as a source of biological activities which could be further explored and exploited for potential applications.

The aim of this study was to investigate the known risk factors, such as lipids, homocysteine and endothelin, for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in phenylketonuria (PKU) patients, depending on their diet. The PKU patients (n= 74) were divided into two groups. Group A (n= 34; mean age 6.78 ± 1.5 y) adhered strictly to a diet and group B (n= 40; mean age 8.0 ± 3.2 y) did not comply with the diet. The control group comprised 50 healthy non-PKU children. All groups were evaluated for blood levels of homocysteine and vitamin B₆ by high-performance liquid chromatography, vitamin B₁₂ and folate in serum by a radioassay, lipids by a routine method, and lipoprotein(a) and endothelin-1 with an immunoassay. Homocysteine levels (28.65 ± 3.3 μmol 1^-1) were increased in group A compared with group B (6.86 ± 1.6 μmol 1^-1) and the controls (6.9 ± 2.0 μmol 1^-1) (p > 0.001). Vitamin B₆ (10.7 ± 10.9 nmol 1^-1), vitamin B₁₂ (98.5 ± 22.3 pmol 1^-1), folate (2.35 ± 1.3 nmol 1^-1) and lipids were decreased in group A. The other vascular risk factors, which were not dependent on diet [lipoprotein(a) and endothelin-1], did not differ among the three groups. Conclusion: PKU patients on a strict diet had low vitamin B₆, vitamin B₁₂ and folate levels resulting in moderate hyperhomocysteinaemia. The evaluation of these vitamins at short intervals and their supplementation could be an early measure in the prevention of CAD.